Fate of Morning Call's City Park location still undecided after five-hour hearing

The decision is expected within three days.

Author:
Danny Monteverde

Published:
3:17 PM CDT August 9, 2018

Updated:
5:11 PM CDT August 9, 2018

Morning Call will have to wait another few days to learn if it can stay at its home in City Park.

Civil District Court Judge Christopher Bruno said Thursday afternoon that he will issue a judgment within three days on Morning Call's request stop Cafe Du Monde from moving into its space in the park.

Bruno's decision to issue a judgment came at the end of a five-hour hearing on Thursday.

Morning Call's owners sued City Park after their bid was disqualified. City Park said Morning call's owners missed a mandatory meeting about the bid process.

Morning Call co-owner Bob Hennessy testified that a "glitch" on his smartphone deleted the date of that meeting.

Attorneys for Morning Call argued that the meeting was not required by state bid law. City Park's attorneys argued that it was part of the bidding process.

In court documents, City Park’s lawyers note, among other things, that the park has already signed a lease with Cafe du Monde and the injunction that Morning Call seeks cannot undo that.

The owners have said they are looking for another location but have not yet said if they’ve found a new spot.

"We're not going away. Morning Call has been around. We're the oldest and, most people consider, the better of the two coffee and beignet shops, and we're not going away," Morning Call co-owner Bob Hennessy said after Thursday's hearing.

As for City Park, it's leader said he will respect the judge's ruling but said he's still expecting a new tenant in the casino building.

"We are proceeding on with out plans for Cafe du Monde to occupy the site," said Bob Becker, City Park's CEO.